Recyclables

ALAN JACKSONGreaest Hits Volume II
Arista

GEORGE STRAIT50 Number Ones
MCA Nashville

MERLE HAGGARDThe Essential Merle Haggard: The Epic Years
Epic/Legacy

Too many country artists who start strong fall off artistically as
they work their market niche. So Alan Jackson's improvement is a
triumph--his writing only peaked after he was sure his niche would
listen. "Little Man" is populism without ressentiment, "Drive (for
Daddy Gene)" makes me wish my dad had risked his Chevy on me, and
"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" could end up one of
the few 9/11 remembrances emotionally evenhanded enough for Americans
of differing convictions to share. Then there's the forgettable bonus
disc, which demonstrates by contrast why some hits deserve to be. This
clarity will dissipate instantly if you move on to 50 Number
Ones. Few long-running pros have front-loaded their books like
George Strait, whose no-frills approach started fresh and turned
ticket to hackdom in under five years. The keepers presumably
scattered across the second disc are hard to locate as you shake off
the cobwebs induced by the first; conceivably the 51st track, the
non-No. 1 "I Hate Everything," only stands out because it's placed
first. On The Essential Merle Haggard, on the other hand,
hackdom ages like a fine muscatel. Back when Hag was still flexing his
muscles commercially and culturally, the sentimentality of his Billy
Sherrill period was rank. Now it's just gorgeously phrased. Sit back
and enjoy it. No harm done.